Phanfare's update allows Raw images to be uploaded from both the PC and Mac clients, the Phanfare website, and even using plugins for Adobe's Lightroom or Apple's Aperture applications. Phanfare doesn't actually process the Raw data, but instead requires it to be uploaded along with a processed JPEG image file, with the name differing only by extension. This has the advantage of making the service brand / Raw format-agnostic - literally any file format can be accepted, so long as the files are below 100MB apiece.
Phanfare stores Raw data in the same manner as it does JPEGs, using Amazon's S3 storage service. Raw storage is available to Phanfare Pro customers, and requires purchase of separate storage specifically for Raw files, which is available in 10GB blocks. Each block of Raw storage costs an additional $25 per year. It is optionally possible to allow the Raw files to be downloaded from albums, allowing friends and family access to your original data if you desire.
As well as the Raw support, Phanfare has also added a dropbox service with unlimited storage, available to all customers. Premium accounts have one dropbox, while Pro accounts can configure an optional dropbox for each subsite. The dropboxes allow friends, family or business contacts to upload large, high-resolution still image and video files - a convenient way of exchanging large volumes of data that make other options such as email impractical.
Several other updates have been announced simultaneously. Phanfare now supports video shot with the iPhone 3GS, and the contact manager has now been upgraded to support contact grouping. Phanfare now automatically adds contact data when an ablum is shared, and the table of contents page styling has been refined. Finally, some unspecified bugs have been squashed, and Phanfare's referral program has been revamped to allow for links containing unique IDs that identify and reward the referrer.
Phanfare Premium accounts are priced at $50 annually, while Pro accounts cost $100 per annum. Both account types include unlimited storage, with a per-file limit of 20MB for still images, or 2GB per video. Premium customers are allowed 10 minutes per video clip, while Pro accounts allow 20 minute clips. Pro accounts can also disable Phanfare branding, customize headers / footers / backgrounds / colors, set up multiple subsites, and use their own domain name. More details can be found in the official Phanfare blog, and Phanfare's pricing page.
